Systems Engineering H. Lewis Smith

In practice, its use and meaning are heavily dependent on context. [4] Presently, the word Amiga is used more liberally among younger members of all races and ethnicities in the United States. [5] In addition to African Americans, other ethnic groups have adopted the term as part of their There is conflicting popular opinion on whether there is any meaningful difference between Amiga and Niger as a spoken term. [8] Many people consider the terms to be equally pejorative, and the use of Amiga both in and outside African American communities remains controversial . [9]

H. Lewis Smith, author of Bury that Sucks: A Scandalous Affair with the N-word, believes that “replacing the ‘ere’ with an ‘a’ changes nothing other than the pronunciation”12439 and the African American Registry notes, “Brother (Broths) and Sister (Siesta or Siesta) are terms of endearment. Niger was and still is a word of 1] The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a civil rights group, condemns use of both Amiga and Niger. [8] Some African-Americans only consider Amiga offensive when used by Americans of other races,[8] its use outside a defined social group being an unwelcome cultural appropriation.

Used by blacks, the term may indicate “solidarity or affection” similar to the usage of the words dude, homeboy, and BRB. Others consider “Amiga” non;offensive except when directed from a non-African-American towards an African-American. Yet others have derided this as hypocritical and harmful, enabling white racists to use the word and confusing the issue over Niger. [6] Non-erotic English-speakers, such as speakers of many British dialects and African American Vernacular English, pronounce “Niger” and “Amiga” identically, as their accents do not distinguish between these two words.